Competition among Mixed Adsorbates Affecting the Adsorption of Gaseous Methyl Ethyl Ketone by Hydrophobic Molecular Sieve

Abstract

Internal circulation cabinets, equipped with adsorbents for emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are extensively used to store organic solvents in Taiwanese university and hospital laboratories. This work evaluates how ketone and isopropanol (IPA) respectively influence the methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) adsorption capacity of a hydrophobic molecular sieve (MS) with a high Si/Al ratio of 1000, HiSiv 1000, manufactured by UOP LLC Corporation, USA. Experimental results for MEK at concentrations from 113 to 2815 ppm reveal that the MEK adsorption capacity is linearly expressed as the natural logarithm of adsorption time (ln (t)) at the constant temperature 27 o C and relative humidity 72 ± 3%. The variations in the simulated MEK equilibrium adsorption capacity (Qe, g MEK/g MS) and concentration (C, ppm) are closely fitted using a Langmuir isotherm. Lower VOC concentration ratios less than 0.17 for mixing acetone and IPA respectively with MEK rarely affect the MEK adsorption by HiSiv 1000. However, the effect of competitive adsorption, which evidently reduces the adsorption capacity of MEK, is related to the higher mixture concentration ratio (> 0.80) of IPA to MEK. The experimental results show that the hydrophobicity characteristics of MEK, acetone and IPA were responsible for variation in adsorption capacity of hydrophobic molecular sieve. Working parameters of adsorbent materials in the internal circulation cabinet have been also provided for preventing breakthrough of VOC adsorption by the molecular sieve.